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England will take on Australia in the fifth and final Test match of the ongoing Ashes series at the Oval in London from Thursday, August 20. The hosts have an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the Ashes and will look to compound Australia’s heartache.

Australia will find it incredibly difficult to leave with a win at the Oval. They have had major issues dealing with the English wickets in the last two Test matches for starters and Steve Smith, their biggest hope ahead of the series, has had a time to forget.

When Stuart Broad had claimed ahead of the Ashes that Smith was going to be found out in England, few paid heed to his comments and Darren Lehmann and his players had gone on the counter. However, Smith’s technique has indeed been found wanting and Australia have done themselves no favours.

The final Test of this long series will also be Michael Clarke’s last in Test match cricket. The Australian captain, who had won the World Cup for his team earlier this year announced his plans to retire from Test cricket following the Oval game after his side were outplayed by England for the larger part of the series.

Clarke would not have imagined that he would have to leave in such dire circumstances. In fact, when he announced his retirement from the fifty over format, Clarke said that one of the reasons why he was retiring from the game was that he wanted to prolong his Test career.

Even though injuries had limited this fantastic cricketer, Clarke has proved himself to be a true Australian cricketer and captain. Australia should be determined to give their skipper a proper send-off.

Sadly however, it would be miraculous if Australia were to get a result after what transpired in the fourth Test. Broad ran through Australia in the first innings dismissing the visitors for 60 runs and Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow's efforts put England firmly in control.

Australia were faced with a stiff task in the second innings and never looked like getting back into the Test. They were rocked by Ben Stokes, who claimed six wickets in the second innings, to hand England a massive victory of an innings and 78-runs.

Given all that has gone about this Ashes, this final Test is going to be a massive encounter for a variety of reasons.